Soldiers can lift up to 200 pounds with the HULC. (Source: Lockheed Martin)

Bring on the mech wars

For
those yearning for some good old fashioned mech wars, your hopes may
be realized on a battlefront in the near future.

To
complement combat
airships, lasers, drones,
and a variety of other exotic "future weapons", Lockheed
Martin is looking to outfit soldiers with powerful
exoskeletons that would greatly amplify their physical
movements and turn them into resilient angels of death.

Dubbed
the Human Universal Load Carrier, or HULC, Lockheed Martin has
supplemented a $1.1M USD contract with much private investment to try
to sell the military on the idea of combat exoskeletons.

Lockheed
Martin recently shared
details on the progress of the suit with Wired.
The HULC in its current form weighs 82 lbs, but when the solider
straps in, they feel virtually nothing. It could in theory
support an impressive array of strap-on combat accessories such as
missile launchers or a massive 94-pound black steel shield capable of
stopping most munitions dead in their tracks (Lockheed Martin has
only demonstrated non-weapon accessories like the shield, but said
that it should be capable of being weaponized).

The agile
outfit is fully "ruggedized" and waterproof. It can
withstand billowing sand and dust, as is commonly present in the
Middle East. Its lithium-ion battery pack can power a 20 km
(12.5 mile) march on a single charge. The suit can travel at 7
miles per hour, faster than a brisk walk, and fast enough to keep up
with a slow-traveling tank (tanks top out typically at around 40 mph,
but frequently travel much slower when performing tactical or support
maneuvers).

The suit allows the soldier to effortlessly lift 200 lb
-- far more than an average private sans suit could ever dream of.
And the battery pack weighs only 18 lbs, is rechargeable via Humvee
electrical connections, and holds charge for three to four days.

The
suit is amazingly flexible allowing you to stand up from a prone or
kneeling position rapidly, and without putting almost any weight on
the soldier's joints.

Going ahead Lockheed Martin wants to
further seal off the unit's hydraulic and electronic systems from the
elements and from undesirable electric emissions, which could give
away your location.

In the spring of 2011, the exoskeleton
will enjoy its first tests by real soldiers in the U.S. military.
And in 2012 Lockheed Martin will test the exosuits in Afghanistan.
The feedback from those tests will probably determine whether the
U.S. Armed Forces get serious about investing in the
technology.

Regardless of
which model triumphs, the U.S. Military would be wise to promote this
technology. After all, soldiers are soft and organic, and thus
vulnerable to improvised explosive devices and armor-piercing
rounds. It's hard to carry enough body armor to change that
fact. An exoskeleton could not only provide greater protection
against these threats, but it could prove a fearsome offensive
weapon. The sight of a legion of heavily armored mech soldiers
supported by tanks charging towards them would be enough to send most
enemies running from the battlefield.

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Blasphemy! There are multiple advantages of a giant robot over a tank:

1. Rocket fists. Tranzor Z (Mazinger Z) clearly demonstrates this advantage. The detachable saucer car in his head is just an added bonus and the eye beams, well, lets just say he can peek over a cliff and fry anything in sight. Mazinkaiser is even more deadly, btw.

2. Big robots can step on things, tanks can't. That's right, when a tank runs out of ammo, it can just run over things--except big robots. Rock paper scissors here, big robot wins with no ammo and tank is squished. Rock is trumped by paper.

3. Tanks aren't nuclear powered. Need I say more?

4. Mechs have neurohelmets. Tanks don't.

5. Mechs have jump jets and some of them--like the mighty Veritech, can transform into a plane and per the tale of the great Thexder, triumph over all sorts of mechanical menaces.

6. Mechs can walk on all sorts of terrain a tank has no business, nor any ability, to traverse. Not only this but a Mech can enter a river or lake and still fire back while partially submerged, using the liquid as a means to reduce heat from their core structure.

7. This is the most important advantage of all--Mech's are cooler! They're just neato.

quote: That's right, when a tank runs out of ammo, it can just run over things--except big robots.

A big tank can run over big robots.

quote: Tanks aren't nuclear powered.

If a giant robot can be nuclear powered, I don't really understand why a tank can't be either. Both would probably need to be remote controlled, but nothing states that a tank must actually carry people.

quote: Mechs can walk on all sorts of terrain a tank has no business, nor any ability, to traverse.

I'm sure that you can also find terrain that a mech can't go into but a tank can.

quote: Not only this but a Mech can enter a river or lake and still fire back while partially submerged, using the liquid as a means to reduce heat from their core structure.

There are currently no tanks on earth that can run over a mech that is 17 meters tall. Even if it were Getter Robot and not a traditional Battletech or Macross mech, the tank would still fail as Getter is 20 - 55 meters tall (depending on the model and if it is a Shin-variant).

quote: If a giant robot can be nuclear powered, I don't really understand why a tank can't be either. Both would probably need to be remote controlled, but nothing states that a tank must actually carry people.

If the tank were robot controlled, then maybe. If it isn't, though, it can't be as there just isn't enough room. In a battlemech, the reactor is in the mid-torso, while the pilot is situated above it or in the head. The tank just doesn't have enough room as the main surviving principle behind a tank is:

a. Thick, canted armor to deflect shellsb. Low-profile to create a smaller visual presence in the background and on the horizon.

A tank that can be seen is a tank waiting to be stepped on!

quote: I'm sure that you can also find terrain that a mech can't go into but a tank can.

I'm not sure of any but if you come up with something, please let me know. A mech particularly has an advantage on steeper, rocky inclines that a tank can't hope to keep up on.

What If instead of a tank we build Fatboys? You know like the ones in Supcom - giant tanks the size of a city block that contain a factory to construct other fighting vehicles where ever it is and have turrets with giant naval guns like on battleships? What happens to you mech now?

>'Mechs are supposed to have an armor that can for the most part, deflect most if not part of the kinetic energy from a now-conventional tank round.

> Their vantage point puts normal tanks in far better range.Yea if they can see you you can see them but the 'mech might be moving too. I don't know if tank's targeting computers gather range data on objects with sky in the background. It won't be easy to hit the legs of a 'mech. Tank can't see over a short wall, and cant knock it down for fear of the enemy noticing. A 'mech can see easily over a short wall though it would need high cover to hide itself behind.

> Noting the Hatchetman's design, a 'mech with limbs able to torque tons worth of weight fairly effortlessly, even if clumsily slow to our eyes, can hold physical weapons that can do plenty of damage after ammo reserves are out.

> A true 'Mech wouldn't work without some kind of miniaturized reactor. Even though an ICE engine or two MIGHT be able to produce enough power for mobility OR weapons (excluding energy weapons, sorry).. Fuel is a concern. High output energy source = some kind of energy weapon. Ballistics are practical with limited ammo, but having a nearly unlimited power source and no energy weapons that require no ammo would be stupid. Unless the source of energy could barely power mobility, computers, life support, etc.. =\ Whatever that is give it the boot and plug something better in.

> Tanks have far less mobility. They can't turn as easily, and the turret can only traverse up so far. A 'Mech can get up on a hill or outcropping and rain hell downward. A Tank would need to half fall off a cliff to aim downwards.

> A tank can use 'jump jets' to go over a ravine or really ugly terrain, but I believe those were plasma rockets that fed on water or something else for thrust. According to BT design, a bipedal 'mech should be able to keep it's balance pretty good even on uneven ground.

> A tank could dig itself a hole with it's treads in loose soil or mud if it is wet enough. A 'mech might slip and fall but it can get back up albeit slowly and maybe with some damage. A 'mech might also just be able to stomp through mud as it's weight should always carry it down far enough to hit the bottom. It is stepping while the tank is chewing.

> Yay a tank can fire partially submerged. A 'mech can fire completely submerged though it isn't practical. What is practical is crossing a body of water, underwater. Works great for ambushes too. Element of surprise a conventional tank (not a specialized tank) can't accomplish.

> what else what else... Oh yes. Lighter armor, significantly more movement-power means more armaments. Miles-per-gallon is the key, if there isnt any, then the combat life of the unit is greatly increased.

That's all I can think of. We will likely have spacecraft before 'Mechs though. Air mobility might take over. BT Universe unfortunately was built around the dream of ground-based 'Mechs and had to make up reasons why they dominated where air power should have. On the other side.. no matter how much air power you have... you always need ground troops. why not 20-40 foot tall kinds.